This application takes priority from Provisional application Ser. No. 60/009,115, filed Dec. 22, 1995.
I. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to street number displays and, more particularly, to character blanks for lighted displays.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Street number displays for mounting to a building, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,893,148, are well known. The display includes a housing which contains a light source and has a horizontal opening along the front side. The street number is formed by lenses which are mounted to the light source and viewed through the opening in the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,254,457 discloses an illuminated sign construction for displaying house numbers. The house numbers are formed by mounting rectangular indicia blanks to the housing. The blanks have an opaque mask surrounding a transparent area to form the desired numeral. The indicia blanks are slid in rails formed in the housing to cover an elongated horizontal opening. The indicia blanks are backlit by a light source mounted in the housing.
However, in many situations it is desirable to mount the number display in a vertical alignment. Previously known horizontal street number displays are unsuitable for mounting in a vertical alignment because the dimensions of the opening and the use of rectangular character blanks. The characters must be smaller for vertical alignment than horizontal alignment if the rectangle is rotated 90.degree.. Accordingly, displays with different dimensions are produced for vertical alignment.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a lighted street number display which can be mounted in either a horizontal or vertical alignment and utilize the same set of number blanks.